Wondering why NHL players are not at the 2018 Winter Olympics? Here's why

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USA TODAY Sports

GANGNEUNG, Korea – Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, with two Olympic coaching wins for Canada on his resume, told Reuters recently he was “jealous” of the coaches who are at this year’s Olympics. He clearly would like to be here.

New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist told the media recently he feels as though something has been taken away from him.

“He wants to be here, for sure,” said his identical twin brother Joel Lundqvist who is on the Swedish Olympic team. “It is a big tournament, and he is really disappointed he is not playing. I think all the NHL players want to be here. I always thought they would do something so they would come and play.”

The NHL made it official last April 4 that it wouldn’t allow players to go, after saying for months the majority of owners were not in favor of going.

"It is disappointing,” German coach Marco Sturm, a former NHL player, said. “Knowing that all the (NHL) players wanted to be here, this is unfortunate. This is an event where the best players should play.''

Here is why the NHL isn’t in the Olympics for the first time since before the 1998 Nagano Games:

Shutting down the league causes issues: The NHL needs to shut down for 17 days to accommodate an Olympic schedule, and that plays havoc with business operations. Some teams have reduced walk-up ticket sales after the Olympics.

Fear of injuries: Because parity is a reality in the NHL, the difference between a top team and a team missing the playoffs is only a few points. Olympic injuries can potentially cost a team a playoff spot. New York Islanders’ John Tavares, Detroit Red Wings’ Henrik Zetterberg and Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov were are injured in Sochi in 2014 and lost NHL games.

No partnership with IOC: Though the NHL has supplied players for five consecutive Olympics, the league has no rights to show video highlights on its website. NHL officials have never been satisfied with how they’ve been treated at the Olympic Games. The IOC was unwilling to pay for insurance and travel costs. (The International Ice Hockey Federation said it would find the money.) They would like some marketing opportunities.

Wanted something from players: Players want to go to the Olympics, and the NHL indicated it was willing to consider going if participation were tied to other negotiable issues. The NHLPA wasn’t willing to go there. It was never going to fly. Olympic participation will be an issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Time zone issues: NHL officials didn’t see the benefit of going to Korea to have NHLers playing games that were shown live at 7 a.m. or 10 p.m..

No quantifiable gain: This is a big issue for the NHL. While it seems logical and desirable to have the NHL in the Olympic spotlight to grow the sport, league officials say the previous Olympic appearances have not increased visibility in any way it can define. TV ratings haven’t increased. Merchandise sales don’t rise because of the Olympics. The NHL is interested in international growth, but believes it can achieve that on its own. The NHL recently announced NHL preseason games to be played in China. The NHL has a keen interest in China's marketing potential. China is hosting the 2022 Winter Games. It could be we see a return of NHL players then.